Window operating system



19 i 1956 E. c. HORTON 2,523,145

WINDOW OPERATING SYSTEM Filed March 16, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR ERWIN C. HORTON ATTORN EYS 195a E. c. HORTON 2,528,145

WINDOW OPERATING SYSTEM Filed March 16, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG, 3.

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INVENTOR ERWIN C HORTON ATTORNEYQ Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, N. Y., assignor to Trico lroducts Corporation, Bufialo, N. Y.

Application March 16, 1945, Serial No. 583,147 7 This invention relates to an operator for the windows of motor vehicles and has particular reference to a window system operable from the intake manifold of the vehicle engine or other suitable source of subatmospheric pressure. This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 457,234., filed Nov. 28, 1942, now abandoned.

It has heretofore been proposed to open and close the automobile window by means of a fluid motor connected to a source of suction, but the installation of the window system has been complicated by reason of the multiplicity of conduits required and the efiiciency has been somewhat impaired because of the long air passages necessitated. To hasten the response of the motor in a practical manner the motor piston has heretofore been submerged in suction. This has resulted in a quicker window adjustment because the required operating pressure differential could readil be secured even though the low pressure influence at the source was small.

An object of the present invention is to increase the sensitiveness of the window regulator to the demand of the motorist whereby the response of the suction operated system will be practically instantaneous.

Further, the invention has for its object to simplify the'installation and provide a window system which is both durable and practical in 2 operation.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view depicting a window system embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view through one of the motor control or venting valves;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View of a modification of the invention shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through the motor control valve unit; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a valve mounting detail.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the window panel I is slidable vertically in guideways 2 by means of a fluid motor having a chambered casing 3 pivotally mounted at A and in which the piston 5 operates. A rod 6 connects the piston to a transmission 1 in the form of a bell crank lever pivoted at 8 and having its arm 9 pivotally linked to a bracket In on the bottom rail l l of the window panel.

The vertical movement of the window is kept true through a motion equalizing arrangement including a shaft 12 which is journaled in a pair of brackets [3 on the bottom rail II and fixedly 3 Claims. (Cl. 268--l25) carries a pair of pinions M on its opposite ends. These pinions mesh with a pair of rack rails or tracks l5 mounted on or adjacent the guides 2 so that as the fluid motor moves the glass panel or closure, which latter terms are used interchangeably herein, the rigidly related pinions will roll at the same speed on their racks and effect a pure translatory movement of the panel. A counterbalance spring l6 encloses the shaft l2 and has one end fixed to the shaft and its opposite end anchored in a bracket l3 to provide a compact association of parts and a well balanced window.

The fluid motor is preferably operable by suction, as derived from the intake manifold or an engine driven pump, through the pressure line H. Since the speed of operation of the vehicle power plant'varies the suction influence available will also be variable. Therefore, this suction influence will be normally in communication with the opposite ends of the motor chamber 3 through the instrumentality of the branch conduits l8. Inserted in each branch conduit adjacent the chamber is an operating valve having a casing 19 with a supply port 20, a chamber port 2|, and an atmospheric port 22. A valve 23 normally closes the atmospheric port and establishes communication between the ports 20 and 2| by reason of a valve passage 24, as shown in Fig. 2. A check valve ll will act to avoid dissipation of the lower pressure in the chamber when the source fails.

With the motor piston 5 normally suction balanced or submerged in subatmospheric pressure, the selective operation of either valve 23 to interrupt the suction communication and open the corresponding atmospheric port 22 will vent the respective end of the motor chamber immediately to the atmosphere and thereby unbalance the piston through the build-up of a motor operating pressure diiferential. This selective valve manipulation is herein accomplished electrically from a remote point. A solenoid or electromagnet 25 is mounted on the valve casing and the valve 23 is insulated by a layer 26 from a core or armature 21. A spring 28 urges the valve-armature to a position for normall closing the atmospheric port 22. Each solenoid has a switch 2 9 for connecting the same in electric circuit with a source of electric energy 30, and by closing either switch 29 the selected valve will respond to set the motor accordingly in operation.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the normally evacuated motor chamber 3 may be quickly vented to the atmosphere through the relatively short line of communication through the two ports 2| and 22 when the valve 23 has been electro-magnetically withdrawn to an open position. Consequently, an operating pressure differential will immediately act upon the piston to promptly adjust the window. By thus shortening the line of communication with the outside atmosphere, the pressure differential build up will be instantaneous. The air friction which through a long line of communication would delay the motor response has been eliminated to a practical extent. Furthermore, when the vent ing valve 23 is closed and thereby communication between the motor chamber and the source of suction supply is re-established, it is only necessary to evacuate the motor chamber itself without the addition of a substantial volume of atmospheric air which may be found in long vent lines. This is important since the suction influence as provided by the power plant of an automobile is variable or fluctuating and, therefore, the normally suction balanced piston will be very sensitive for effecting immediate window adjustment with the further assurance that the motor chamber may again be quickly evacuated after the vent has been closed.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the two motor control or venting valves 23 have been encased in a single housing 31 mounted on the motor chamber. This housing is suitably partitioned to provide a pair of vacuum chambers 32 and 33 which have open communication through ports 29 with a suction supply passage 34. The chamber 33 communicates through a port 35 and a communicating passage 36 with one end of the motor chamber 3' while the vacuum chamber 32 communicates through a port 31 and passage 38 with the opposite end of the motor chamber. The valves 23' normally close the vent or atmospheric ports 22 under the urge of springs 28', each valve 23 being connected to a normally open suction valve 39 by a spacer 40 which latter serves to hold the valve 39 off its seat when the valve 23 is seated.

In lieu of having the venting valve opening directly by the electro-magnet 25, its operation herein is controlled indirectly through the intermediary of a secondary fluid motor. To this end the electro-magnet or solenoid 25, when energized, will attract a valve 4| to open an atmospheric bleed port 42 leading into the chamber space 43 and admit atmospheric pressure upon the piston 44. This piston is supported by or connected to the vacuum valve 39 and is herein shown as forming a part of the vacuum valve. Therefore with the vacuum in chamber 33 normally acting on the under side of the piston 44 and also on the upper side thereof through an exceedingly small pressure equalizing port 44, it is apparent that a pressure differential will be provided, when the port 42 is opened, to move the suction valve 39 to its seat and thereby interrupt the communication between the motor chamber 3 and the source of suction while at the same time the connected valve 23' will unseat to vent such motor chamber to the atmosphere so as to provide the required pressure differential for the actuation of the motor piston 5 and the adjustment of the window. The solenoids 25 may be suitably mounted on the under side of the closure plate 45 so as to dispose them within the atmospheric chamber 46. Each valve 4| is carried by an armature plate 47 loosely mounted in opposing notches 48 in the sides of a recess 49 formed in the U-shaped frame member 50 which supports the electro-magnets 25. The play provided by this mounting is suflicient to permit the unseating movement of the valve 4! when the armature 41 is attracted by its magnet.

Impurities in the air flowing through the venting ports 22' may be filtered out by the felts 5|, and the speed of window adjustment may be regulated by more or less throttling the air inflow through the instrumentality of a rotary valve 52 cooperating with a seat 53 to vary the size of their registerable ports 54.

By reason of the fact that the bleed port 42 has only to vent the relatively small chamber space 43, the size of the electro-magnet 25' need be very small, operating on a half ampere or less. The size of the bleed port 42 as compared to the venting assage 22' is very much smaller. This all tends toward a simplification of the system and provides a factor of safety which i much desired in a motor vehicle.

In operation, one or the other of the two electro-magnets will be energized by closing the respective one of the switch buttons 29 to unseat the corresponding venting valve 23' and to interrupt the suction line to the corresponding side of the motor chamber thereby providing a pressure differential for moving the piston accordingly. The piston 5' is shown operatively connected to the window by means of a flexible transmission 1', which is more fully set forth in the Patent No. 2,369,797 granted on February 20, 1945, to Anton Rappl. The pistons 5 and 5' may be of the locking type schematicall shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and more fully described in said patent, the action being that the weight of the transmission supported window will lightly apply the lock against gravitation of the window and any attempt to pry the window open from the outside of the vehicle will be successfully resisted by a firmer application of the iston lock.

By reason of the electrically controlled venting valves being located immediately adjacent the suction balanced motor in which the piston is normally submerged in suction, the entrance of the outside atmosphere through the venting port into the motor chamber will promptly become effective to unbalance the motor and adjust the Window. The full benefit of the pressure differential will become eiiective immediately since long lines of communication between the motor and the venting valve have been eliminated with no appreciable friction to the air movement into the relatively smaller portion of the motor chamber when the Window is in one extreme position or the other. The result is that the air content to be supplied to or evacuated from the system is confined practically to the motor chamber alone. By reason of the electrical control the valve response will likewise be instantaneous. Furthermore, the installation of the window regulating system will be greatly facilitated since the fluid motor and its venting valves are readily installed as a unit with the circuit Wiring being easily located in the confined quarters of the door and wall structure of the motor vehicle.

It will be understood that the apparatus and system described and shown herein is merely illustrative of the inventive principles involved, which latter may be applied to other physical embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is? 1. A window system for motor vehicles having a source of variable suction influence in its power plant comprising, in combination with a vertically slidable window, a fluid motor having a chamber and a piston therein, transmission means operatively connecting the motor to the window and serving tosupport the latter, a venting valve for each side portion of the motor chamber arranged to open such side portion directly to the atmosphere while concurrently interrupting the respective suction communication, said venting valves normally maintaining the lines of suction communication open to both sides of the chamber to submerge the piston in suction, and means for so actuating the valve to unbalance the piston, each venting valve havin a wall abutting the chamber wall and formed with a port opening directly through the chamber wall to open the chamber directly to the atmosphere for expediting the flow of air into the chamber.

2. A window system for motor vehicles, comprising a fluid motor having a chamber and a piston therein, a vertically slidable window, transmission means operatively connecting the motor to the window, a venting valve for each side of the motor chamber having a body directly attached to the chamber wall, such body having a port opening into the motor chamber to open such side thereof directly to the atmosphere while concurrently interrupting any communication with a source of operating pressure, an equalizing connection between the ports of the two venting valves for maintaining equalized pressure in the motor chamber on opposite sides of the piston, and means selectively operable to actuate either venting valve for effecting operation of the motor to adjust the window.

3. A window system for motor vehicles, comprising a fluid motor having a chamber and a piston therein, a vertically slidable window, transmission means operatively connecting the motor to the window, a venting valve for each side of the motor chamber having a body directly attached to the chamber wall, such body having a port opening into the motor chamber to open such side thereof directly to the atmosphere while concurrently interrupting any communication with a source of operating pressure, an equalizing connection between the ports of the two venting valves for maintaining equalized pressure in the motor chamber on opposite sides of the piston, and means selectively operable to. actuate either venting Valve for effecting operation of the motor to adjust the window, said equalizing passage being connected to a source of operating pressure with a check valve arranged in the connection.

ERWIN C. HORTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 102,300 Morton Apr. 26, 1870 513,051 Ongley Jan. 16, 1894 1,306,966 Marcoux et a1 June 17, 1919 1,479,386 Hynes et a1 Jan. 1, 1924 1,679,762 Bragg et a1 Aug. 7, 1928 1,930,557 Hughes Oct. 17, 1933 2,030,838 Hill Feb. 11, 1936 2,187,465 Simonick Jan. 16, 1940 2,194,782 Baade Mar. 26, 1940 2,314,429 Simpson Mar. 23, 1943 2,327,064 Rappl Aug. 17, 1943 2,334,031 Rappl Nov. 9, 1943 2,338,069 Horton et al Dec. 28, 1943 2,364,715 Horton et al Dec. 12, 1944 2,366,790 Horton Jan. 9, 1945 2,379,989 Rappl et a1 July 10, 1945 2,418,031 Horton Mar. 25, 1947 2,422,984 Rappl June 24, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 445,351 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1936 

